Dancing In The Rain
by ExellentlyEllen
Summary: A year after they sabotaged their relationship, Luke and Lorelei might just find a way to get back to one another...
1. Chapter 1: Standing In The Rain

**So, I decided, after reading a ton of GG fanfic, that I maybe wanted to try my own hand at it. I love Lorelei and Luke, and I'm still after all these years totally upset about season 7. I wish I could erase it from TV history. Because I so wanted them to have their middle. And I wanted us to get to witness their middle.**

**I know there are a million stories about them, and how they would, should get on after what happened. But I decided to take a stab at it. I'm posting this one chapter now, and hopefully I get some reviews that will encourage me to continue with this story. So please, give me all your feedback, and let me know if you want this story to keep going.**

**- Ellen**

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The heavy, steady downpour that had been falling since early evening had bled all the color out of the small, quaint Connecticut town. Almost all of its residents were at their homes, tucked away safely from the wind and rain tormenting the outside. All businesses were closed up tightly, every window as dark as the night sky above. All but one. The light coming out the windows of the town diner could do nothing to fight the darkness of the streets beyond.

The owner of the diner stood motionlessly near one of the windows, staring intently out into the heavy rain, a dishrag held loosely in his right hand. He'd given up all pretenses of cleaning about 15 minutes ago, resigned to just standing at the window looking for the familiar form to pass by his diner. He sighed and turned to check the time again. It was nearing midnight, and the worry that simmered in his stomach burned higher and fiercer with every tick of the clock.

He'd told himself that she was no longer his concern, being separated for the better part of a year. But he couldn't help looking for her, out in the streets, just to make sure she was alright. She almost never came by the diner anymore, and when she did she was never alone. There was no more counter-banter or over the top flirting. No more longing looks and conversations conveyed between 2 pairs of blue eyes. Their relationship now reduced to that of polite acquaintances, nods when they passed each other in the street, plain orders with a side of aloofness.

He could still see the haunted look in her eyes, when they happened to land on his. The look in hers a reflection of the ones in his own eyes. The one that showed all the regret and hurt and desperation, that built itself in between the seemingly perfect couple. They'd been apart for the better part of a year and he'd come to terms with the actions they both took that got them to this point. He'd conceited that their split was as much his fault as it was hers.

That's why he _couldn't_ hate her anymore, he didn't _want_ to hate her. it was also why he stood by the window, every Friday night, waiting for her car to pass his window, to make sure she got home safely. But tonight, it was taking too damn long. He couldn't imagine her staying at her parents longer than it required to finish drinks and dinner, so she should have been home at least two hours ago. Pacing around did nothing to stop the growing agitatation he felt and he was about to turn and get his keys, when he saw a darker shadow shuffle through the rain.

Without thinking he yanked open the front door and raced through the torrent to get to her, quickly pulling her up the steps and into the dry warmth of his diner. She stood there, shaking uncontrollably, water dripping off her and forming puddles by her feet. He rushed to the back to get some of the blankets he kept in the store room. When he came back to the dining room he found she hadn't moved a muscle, staring intently at the water gathering on his floor. His eyes went wide when he looked a little closer at her feet. Her _bare_ feet.

"Where the hell are your shoes!" he yelled at her. "It's not bad enough that you were wandering around in this storm without an umbrella. You had to do it without shoes?! Are you insane?!" He stopped to take a breath, his hands on his hips, head shaking and his eyes burning with anger. "Never mind, I already knew you were insane, this is just more proof." While he picked up the blankets he'd dropped a moment earlier and threw them over her, she opened her coat a little, to reveal a pair of high heels tucked under her arm. Her eyes met his and she shrugged as if to say '_did you really not see that coming_'. "T-t-t-th-the-they rrrrrrr m-m-m-my fffffffff favorrrite." She managed to stutter out, before slumping down in the nearest chair. "You've got to be kidding me, you walked around bare feet outside because you didn't want to ruin your _shoes_? You are just unbelievable! Come on, let's get you upstairs and dried off before you catch something." He pulled her up from the chair and practically pushed her up the stairs towards his apartment. Once up there, he pulled out towels and something to wear, handed them over to her and pointed to the bathroom with a stern look on his face.

About 15 minutes later, he'd brewed some coffee for her, and a cup of strong tea for himself and she came out of the bathroom, a towel on her head and dressed in his clothes. He swallowed away the lump that formed in his throat at the sight of her. Even drenched and freezing she was still beautiful. Then he remembered the walking in the rain barefoot and his anger flared up again. "Sit!" he barked at her pushing out the chair in front of him with his feet. She nodded and sat across from him, wrapping her hands around the steaming cup of coffee and breathed in deep.

"What happened?" he asked her, softer this time. "Why were you out in this weather? And where is your car?" She looked up, seemingly looking through him instead of _at_ him and sighed again. "Ddddecided t-t-t-to tttttry ttttthe n-n-n-new pppppublic ppppool." She shoked out, trying to make a joke out of the situation, as per usual, but without the conviction he usually heard in her voice. He glared at her, indicating that he did not find her amusing. She shrugged and moved on. "C-c-car br-br-broke dddown. N-n-no um-umbrella. Ddddropped ffffffffphone. Wwwwalked home."

His look softened and in that moment, all he wanted to do was to hold her, to pull her into a hug and comfort and warm her. And himself. And for the life of him, he couldn't, in that minute, figure out what was stopping him. "Lorelei…" he started, not really knowing what to say next. He reached out his hand to cover hers. Her hands were still cold as ice, and that was what made him push out every reservation he might still have. He walked over to the other side of the table, hunched down next to her and pulled her into a crushing hug. "Oh, Luke.." she sighed.


	2. Chapter 2: Walking In The Rain

** I forgot to disclaim before, so here it is: I do not own any of the Gilmore Girls... I would love the be one though... *wishful thinking***

**Enjoy!**

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Fridays really and truly sucked. They had sucked ever since that day she decided to beg her parents for money to send her daughter to private school. Some Fridays however, were worse than others. This Friday? The worst.

She'd overslept again, making her miss 2 morning meetings. Thank god Sookie and Michel had been there to save her. There was a computer problem so she had to use the paper day planner, which of course hadn't been filled in in the last month. This caused double bookings for the entire month of August. After that there was a problem with one of the maids, there was a small kitchen fire (again) and Cletus had gotten out of his box. Of course there was Friday night dinner with her parents, which was even worse these past few weeks because she was missing her back-up. And to top that all off? It had started raining cats and dogs the moment she needed to leave for Hartford.

It had taken her almost twice as long to get to her parents' house, because there was zero visibility and she had to drive at the pace of a turtle in order to not crash. Of course her parents were totally understanding of her tardiness, and didn't give her a minutes long lecture about punctuality (as if).

"_Surely Lorelei, you could have left your home sooner given the weather we're having. You should have calculated in the extra time." _Her mother had said while she hung her coat on the wall. _"The weather is never a good enough reason to be late to an invitation._ She'd stifled a deep sigh, not willing to argue with her mother after the day she'd had. Eager to get herself a drink she turned toward the sound of her father's voice, only to find there was a strange man sitting in the loveseat next to the bar. "_ah_, _Lorelei"_ her father had said "_come meet my new golfing friend David._" Turning towards David he said "_David Drake, meet Lorelei Gilmore, my daughter."_

The obvious set up was dreadful. He was in his mid 40ies, slightly balding and had little beady eyes. He was also a good 2 feet shorter than she was. And they could not have found a more boring person if they'd tried. He talked about investment funds and stock portfolio's, not even so much as a little smile when she made a crack comment about her shoe investments. The glaring looks her mother were throwing her were not helping the matter. As soon as dessert was done, she all but bolted out of the house. In the car she took a few moments to text message her wayward daughter:  
**I hope you enjoy your time away from the Gilmores, because when you get back, you'll never have another Friday off!**

When she was about 3 miles away from her house, her car got hit by a tree branch, causing it to swerve and stop in a ditch. Her phone had slid out the passenger door which was slightly ajar, and she had no umbrella in the car, because she'd forgotten it in her hurry to leave the Gilmore residence. Looking out the car window, she could just barely make out the next streetlight. The water was dripping onto her lap because of the tree branch sized hole in her front window. She looked out again, then down at her feet, out again and took a deep breath. Taking off her shoes and tucking them safely in her coat, she opened the door and started walking. A long and wet 3 miles.

Somewhere along the stretch of road she got so cold, she was just moving on auto-pilot. Lift foot, move forward, put down, repeat. She had no idea how long she'd been walking, or even where the hell she was, when all of a sudden she was assaulted and pushed inside a building. The man left her, standing in the middle of… _oh_. She recognized the floor she was dripping all over, and couldn't move. She was in the diner, alone, with Luke. The one thing she'd tried to avoid for almost a year. The only movement she made was completely involuntary, her muscles spasming from the cold.

She heard his footsteps moving back towards the dining room as she studied her feet intently. A loud gasp of horror made her look up at him. "Where the _hell_ are your shoes? It's not bad enough you were wandering around this storm without an umbrella, you had to do it without _shoes?! _Are you _insane?!"_ He was ranting. Oh God, she missed his ranting so _so_ much. When he came closer, to wrap her into the blankets he brought, she opened her coat a little, revealing her shoes tucked beside her. She looked into his eyes for a second and managed to stutter out "ttttthey rrrrr mmmy ffffffffavorite;" her teeth snapping because of the intense cold she was feeling, all the way down to her bones. But she got what she was aiming for with the comment, some more of the glorious ranting.

He pushed her upstairs and made her go into the bathroom to get warm. She had her doubts, because she was so cold, she was pretty sure she'd never ever get warm again. She took about 15 minutes letting the shower start lukewarm and turning the heat up every couple of minutes. When she got out and dressed, she took a minute to just stand there, in his bathroom, in his clothes. She pulled the shirt up over her nose, just to be completely enveloped with his scent. The way she used to be, when he was holding her and her face was buried in his chest.

When she got out, she smelled another great smell. Luke Coffee! She always thought about Luke's Coffee with a capital C, because of the importance to her. Then she noticed the way he was looking at her. It wasn't exactly the 'porterhouse steak' look, but it was definitely a hungry one. And then he shut down the emotion on his face, hiding behind a mask of anger. "Sit!" he said, and the only thing she could do was obey. She sat down on the chair across from him and took the coffee mug in her icy hands. The heat almost burned her, but she didn't care, she needed the warmth.

He asked her what happened. She tried to be funny, be like the Before-Lorelei. But she was rusty, and he wasn't playing along. So she gave him the short version. Car broke, phone lost, walked home. There were several emotions that crossed his eyes , and it was like he was fighting a war within himself. And then he said her name. She'd always loved it when he said her name. He never used nicknames, never called her _Lor_ (thank god for that). He never used her name the way her mother did, always with an undertone of desperation and shame. No, when Luke said her name, it always sounded like a love poem to her. Even when he was exasperated, or angry or annoyed, the way he said her name always carried the same undertone. Love.

Hearing him say her name now, it was like a heavy weight was lifted. She felt like she could breathe again. And all of a sudden he was beside her, grabbing her and holding her tight to his chest. His hug made her warm up faster than any shower could have. Hell, not even the sun itself could give off more warmth than Luke. "Oh, Luke…" she breathed, leaning into his touch. Taking as much as she could get in that moment, before it was ripped away again. Because, surely, there was too much damage, to ever be undone again. Right?


	3. Chapter 3: Talking In The Rain

**So, this chapter turned out longer than I was aiming for (actually the longest chapter for any of my stories so far). Turns out that hearing our national soccer-team beat the Tunisian team while babysitting 4 children is great for my creativity. Yeay for the upcoming World Cup I'd say… **

**I realized that my previous 2 chapters were mostly inner musings from our 2 leads, and since I think there is a lot of internal turmoil going on, a lot of soul-searching and brutal honesty, I'm probably going to keep it internal mostly. Also because I'm not nearly as funny as the great master Lorelei Gilmore herself, so the jokes might not always hit it' s intended target.**

**There will be some talking though, about the **_**thing**__**with the girl he did and the thing with the guy she did. **_** In this chapter, Luke get's his first say, and he's quite calm. This however, doesn't mean it will be a walk in the park after this.**

**I also want to apologize for the spelling of Lorelei. It's the Flemish way my friends, it snuck up on me, don't judge!**

**Just drop your comments down below, because I need them like I need air to breath!**

**- Ellen**

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The hug felt both amazingly familiar and totally new. It had been so long since they'd hugged. Too long. She tucked her head in the crook of his neck and let out a content sight. She allowed herself a few moments of Luke, before she pulled away. The sudden loss of him was crippling, and not just because of the warmth he provided. His physical nearness had been so limited over the past months, that it was hard to give up now that she was close to him again. But, just because she could have frozen to death in the March rain, or hit by a car, or drowned on the way home, didn't mean he was hers to revel in. Some people burned their bridges, but Lorelei had absolutely nuked this one.

She looked up at him, trying very hard to keep her face as neutral and emotion-free as possible. "Thank you Luke" she said formally, "but I think I should be getting home now, Paul Anka is probably worried sick." He snorted. That dog is absolutely weird, which made it the perfect dog for her, so weird even that he probably really was worried about his owner. "You are not going out there with it raining like that. It's like the damn Great Flood has started. You'd be freezing again by the time you get home, if you even get there at all." He stood, and walked back to his side of the table, where it was safer. Being too close to Lorelei impaired his judgment and his clear thinking.

"So, how about you tell me again, what you were doing out there in this freaking storm." She sighed, grabbed her cup of Coffee for warmth and support and squared her shoulders. "Well, it's Friday, so I was in Hartford for dinner. After we ate I ran out so fast, I forgot my umbrella. And I wasn't expecting to need it, so I didn't go back in. I texted Rory, which is why my phone was on my passenger seat instead of in my purse. When I was a few miles out, a tree branch fell on my car, causing it to swerve into a ditch. The passenger side door took a hit I think, because it was crooked. My phone slid out, and there was water leaking in through the windshield. I decided to walk."

"You mean to say you've been walking for _miles_ in this weather?" He shook his head again. Sure, it could have happened to everybody, but of course it happens to _her_ first. Of all the stupid random circumstances… "Why didn't you stay in your car? Waited for another car to pass by?" Her eyes got a defiant look in them and she bristled at his words. "I am not some damsel in distress Luke! I am perfectly capable of walking home if the circumstances so require. I do not need to be saved. I've been managing fine on my own for the past 38 years. Besides, you know as well as I do that there is almost no traffic on that road this time of night. And, I've been told not to get into a car with strangers." She said that last part with a little smirk.

Luke stood and went towards the counter, to get himself some more tea. To calm himself down. She was right though, in some twisted way. If she'd waited for somebody to drive by, hypothermia would have been lurking there as well. Maybe not just as fast, but still. Or, somebody up to no good could have passed by, she was a beautiful woman after all. _No_, he refused to think about those kinds of scenario's. He would have found her, there was no doubt in his mind.

She was also right that she had 38 years of practice to help herself. She'd helped herself when she was in a loveless household. She'd helped herself when she was 16 and pregnant. She'd helped herself build a new life, for her and Rory. And she was a great mother. An amazing mother. The kind of mother he had. Kind and caring and understanding. Loving unconditionally, even when the recipient didn't really deserve to be loved. She was truly a remarkable person.

Somewhere along the past months he'd forgotten that. He'd been so scared she would judge him, about having a kid he didn't know about. He'd been afraid she would compare him to Rory's deadbeat dad. He'd been worried April would rather spend time with her than her own father. And Anna had made him scared that she would take April away for bringing a 'strange' woman in her life. Being 'not stable'. Like being married for years automatically meant you were stable. There were marriages enough that were barely functioning. Just look at his own marriage, that had been a regular disaster. He had also doubted himself. Doubted that he could be a good father, specially to a girl who was already 13 years old by the time he got to know her. He was afraid it was too late to make a bond.

He turned around and saw Lorelei watching him intently. A glance at the oven-clock said it was past 1 in the morning. It really was too late to start a heavy conversation, but who was to say he'd get another chance. What if it was now or never. Would he ever see her alone again, with nobody around to poke their noses into other people's business. These past months had been wait enough.

Lorelei was lost in the sight of Luke, standing at the counter in his tiny apartment. The muscles she knew were hidden under all the flannel, the softness of his skin and the strength of his hands. It took a long time before he turned again, and she was worried he'd agree with her that she should go home. She didn't want to go home, she wanted to stay here and be with Luke. Pretend the last few months didn't happen. Pretend there was no problem with April, pretend there was no Christopher. But, there was in fact a problem with April and there was a Christopher.

When she woke up at Chris' place that morning, her eyes bloodshot and puffy, her head was a mess. She painfully remembered the scene she made in front of the diner with Luke, and him not wanting to elope with her. He didn't want her. And, to try and make the pain go away, she'd gone to Chris, who always wanted her, no matter what. She'd let herself be comforted by Chris, but constantly imagining Luke instead. And when he kissed her, she'd been so numb, so destroyed that she let him. She kept thinking about what she did wrong to push Luke away like that, to make him not want her anymore. Kept replaying every moment of their relationship in her head. And when she woke up, she knew that the relationship was really over. There was nobody worse than Chris to take that kind of comfort in. Some very tiny part, the vindictive part, whispered that it was good what she'd done. That'll teach him, make him suffer just like me. But it was a very miniscule part.

Luckily Chris was as far away from her as he could be. Her answering-machine had received several messages from him, the last one about 4 months ago, when he finally realized she wouldn't pick up the phone.

When Luke turned, there was a determined look on his face. He took 2 steps back towards the table and sat down. "Lorelei, there are a few thing I want to say to you. I _need_ to say to you. They won't be easy, not for you or for me, but I really need you to stay quiet while I say them. I need to get them out before you comment, because if I don't, I'm afraid I'll never say them." He looked at her solemnly, begging her with his eyes to understand, to please let him talk. She nodded once, not wanting her voice to betray the fear she had. Surely he was going to say he was leaving, or this was the last time they would speak. She feared to hear the goodbye speech, more than she feared the storm raging outside.

"I have a daughter. A 12 year old daughter I never knew excised. She came into my diner a little over a year ago, and literally pulled a hair out of my head. She said she was doing a paternity test for her science project, and I was a candidate. I was stumped. She'd whirled in and out so fast, I thought I might have dreamed it. But I went to the science fair anyway. And found out that she was, in fact, mine." The breathed in and out before continuing. "I had a lot of emotions running through me. Anger at Anna, for keeping my daughter from me for all these years. Even anger at April, for coming in so suddenly, and disrupting my life. I was also happy, I had a child of my own. And even if I didn't know her for the first 12 years, I was going to make sure I'd be there for all the rest. I was scared, because I didn't know how to be a father. I still don't, if I'm completely honest. I was selfish, because I didn't want to share her with anybody. I didn't want to introduce her to my beautiful fiancé, because she was so amazing that I was afraid April wouldn't want to spend time with me, the boring grumpy diner guy. So I lied. And I lied more, made excuses, cancelled dates, postponed our wedding. I convinced myself it wasn't bad. I wasn't pushing you out, I was looking for the right time to tell you. I wanted to bond with April before she'd meet you and realize you were so much cooler than I was. I pretended I didn't see what my actions did to the love of my life. Me, who used to always see when she was upset, even if nobody else could."

He looked her in the eyes then, to make her see that what he was going to say next, was the god honest truth. "I'm sorry. About it all. I should have known you wouldn't judge me. Should have know you'd be supportive. You've never been anything but. I'm sorry I lied, sorry I pushed you away. And most of all, I'm sorry you were driving alone tonight, because I should have been there with you, as your husband." He stopped talking, breathing heavily, as if his monologue was equal to running a marathon. And, for Luke, it might just have been.

"You think I'm the love of your life?" she asked, her voice small, with just a tiny bit of hope laced trough. He couldn't help but chuckle. "All that, and _that_ is what you ask me?" She shrugged. She'd heard every word of his story, but somehow, those words were the most important. "Yes, I think you are the love of my life. In fact, I know you are. And we both screwed up, badly, but maybe there is a way to let the love win." His voice was laced with the same kind of hope hers was a moment before.

"You really could get passed… what I did? You really could forgive me?" The sadness that was in those words almost made it storm inside his apartment. He swallowed hard. Was he? Was he ready, willing to forgive her for sleeping with 'the deadbeat' (as he liked to call him). "Just answer me one thing, before I answer you. Do you love him?" There was no hesitation in her answer. "No. He's always been a part of my life. Familiar. But, it's been a long time since I loved him, if I ever even really did. He's Rory's dad and that is the extent of my connection with him. What I did, it wasn't about love. It was about heartbreak and angst and fear and maybe even a little bit of revenge. But it was never about love."

"Then yes, I could get passed it. I realize now that I'm also to blame for the way it went down between us. Could you ?" She was nodding even before he had completed his sentence. "Yes, yes I can. I already have. It's done."


End file.
